


A Clean Conscience

by vanillalime



Category: Oz (TV)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Future, Community: oz_magi, Multi, Oz Magi's Party in the Dress Factory, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 18:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8112760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanillalime/pseuds/vanillalime
Summary: A terminally ill Sister Pete receives some surprising visitors.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lisacali](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisacali/gifts).



> Originally posted to LiveJournal in December 2015. Written in response to a prompt for Oz Magi by lisacali. The request:
> 
> Pairing/Character(s): Any  
> Keyword/Prompt Phrase: Heartbreak  
> Canon/AU/Either: Either  
> Special Requests: I'd love a goodbye scene, either lovers breaking up, friends parting ways, even deathbed would be okay - anything as long as there's plenty of angst!  
> Story/Art/Either: Either
> 
> ... which I kinda messed up. I wrote the following ficlet thinking that the prompt was "goodbye scene" (which my story is), instead of "heartbreak" (which my story isn't) with "plenty of angst" (there really isn't any).

Sister Pete woke from a restless sleep. There was too much light in the room—the hospice nurse must have left the table lamp on. Fighting through a drug-induced haze, she leaned over to turn it off and was surprised to see two middle-aged men quietly sitting in chairs next to her bed.

The men smiled at her as she slowly sat up. The bearded one took her hand in his.

"You remember us?" he asked gently.

She tried to focus on the man's face. He was older, grayer, and a little heavier than she remembered, but she knew him. "Tobias!" she whispered.

The man's smile widened. He squeezed her hand and replied, "Yes."

Then Pete looked at the man sitting next to him. He was bald on top, and there were deep creases around the eyes. But the muscles and that tattoo were still there, peeking out from under his shirt. Confused, Pete stared at him for a second before gasping, "Chris?"

"Hey, sister," the man responded with a wink.

"But... you're dead!" Pete exclaimed.

"Nah," said Chris, shaking his head. "Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated."

"You should've seen  _my_  face," Toby laughed gently, "the first time I saw him after I got out."

"I don't understand," Pete mumbled.

"Chris faked his death in Oz in preparation for entering the Witness Protection Program," Toby explained. "It was part of a deal he cut with the FBI."

"I was familiar with a drug ring they were investigating," Chris added. "I helped them bring it down."

"Remember when I broke my parole?" Toby asked. "The Feds forced Chris to send me out to buy those drugs so that they could track down the kingpin."

Chris held up his hand. "I swear, I had no idea they were gonna bust Toby as well," he clarified. "I was terrified when they sent him back to Oz; I knew I wasn't gonna be around much longer to protect him. That's why it was so important to get rid of Vern and the other Aryans."

"When I was finally paroled," Toby continued, "Chris broke his cover to call on me and explain everything. To make a long story short, Holly, Harry, and I ended up joining him in Kansas. We've all been living there ever since."

"Kansas?" repeated Pete in surprise.

"It's nice and quiet," Chris mumbled defensively.

Pete tried to contain her laughter. "Oh, I’m sure it is," she quickly agreed. "So, you two have been together, all this time?"

"Yes," Toby replied. "I do legal work for various charities, while Chris is a stay-at-home dad and part-time potter."

Pete wasn't sure if she heard correctly. "A potter?" 

"He's really good with his hands," Toby explained proudly.

Chris grinned. "Won a blue ribbon at the county fair last summer."

Toby turned serious. "We recently received word about your health. We felt it was important to sneak in and visit you, to let you know how happy we've been."

"How thoughtful!" Pete said.

Chris coughed uncomfortably. "I also wanted to let you know how sorry I was that I made you doubt your vocation."

"Why, Chris, that's all right!" Pete exclaimed. "It all worked out."

Chris smiled shyly at her.

They were all quiet for a minute, and Pete reflected on the past. Finally, she looked at Toby and quietly said, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you lost Gary."

"That's okay," Toby whispered back. "We've moved on, and only remember the good times."

Pete suddenly felt very tired. She slowly sunk back down into her pillows.

"I think it's time for us to go," Toby said as he stood up. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Good-bye."

Chris shuffled forward and did the same. "Good-bye, sister," he quietly repeated.

With a smile on her face, Pete tried to say "good-bye" back to them. But she fell asleep before the words got out.

**

The night nurse checked Pete's vitals as she slept. It had been a long shift, and the nurse was glad to see her relief walk into the room.

"Keep an eye on her dosage," she instructed. "She was up during the night, hallucinating. I checked on her at one point, and the light was on, these chairs were next to her bed, and the window was open. She kept rambling on about the visitors she’d had."

"Visitors? In the middle of the night?" the other nurse said. "Poor thing." She walked over to the window to open the blinds.

Neither of them noticed the footprints in the snow on the other side of the window.

 


End file.
